The Discovery onward
by AllOrNone
Summary: The other 35 books after The Departure, as they would have been with the events of “An Alternate Departure,” told by Cassie and Aftran. Major spoilers for, oh, just about every book that came out after 18.
1. The Opening

Thank you AARUIM, Tiamath, and Anifan1 for giving enough positive feedback on "An Alternate Depature." Thanks to you, I can upload the after-effects. (By the way, Anifan1, from now on, when you upload my stories into a C2 community, please let me know.) 

Disclaimer: Is in An Alternate Departure. But just for here, I don't own anything of this story, except for various concepts.

* * *

Chapter one: The Discovery

My name is Aftran 942. I am not exactly an Animorph. I am not human. I am not Andalite. I am Yeerk.

Although I'm not exactly an Animorph, I do help them. My duty has become to help them at all costs. Except their lives, that is.

I don't think I've done a very good job explaining.

Perhaps I should let Cassie explain.

She doesn't think she's good at explaining, but she would have done a better job explaining than I just did.

I'll try again.

Earth is being invaded. Now you're saying "Why haven't we heard about it on the news? I think we would have heard about aliens blasting us with lasers." It's not that kind of invasion. I am ashamed to admit that it is my people doing the invading. As I said before, we are called Yeerks.

They look very much like your slugs. I say "your" slugs because on my planet, the only creatures that look like them are my people.

Back to the point. My people are blind, almost deaf, and practically mute. But evolution always plays tricks to combat stuff like that.

We have the unique ability to enter an ear, almost any ear, and tunnel to the brain. Once there, we can wrap around it and take total control. Total control. You can't do anything if the Yeerk doesn't want you to.

The worst part is, at least from Cassie's point of view, you remain completely aware. You see the Yeerk spreading evil with your hands. Your mouth. Using your body to turn other people into helpless slaves.

But then there are some Yeerks who make deals with their hosts. Like in the case of myself and Cassie. She offered me a host and access to Kandrona Rays in exchange for helping to save the world alongside the Animorphs.

A little something I left out. Every three days, maximum, a Yeerk needs to feed on Kandrona Rays or it dies.

Cassie is now my host. The odd part is, when we first met, she was about to kill me. But her kind nature won out and she didn't. She helped me. And then, She offered the deal. I'd offered a deal where we both suffered first. But then she offered the deal where neither of us suffered. At least, not much. I suffered just a tad more, due to the Kandrona thing. But to not have a host who resists my every move really makes up for it.

We've got to tell the others! This is the ultimate target! Cassie said.

I know, I know. But I wonder why Marco called the meeting? I responded.

I think I forgot to mention that Yeerks can communicate with their hosts by thought.

Cassie's sense of urgency was triggering bodily reactions. And these were making me nervous.

Or maybe it was the other way around.

That still didn't stop either of us wondering,

Why had Marco called the meeting we were on our way to?

* * *

I think we all know why Marco called the meeting. But Cassie and Aftran don't. 


	2. The Discovery

Sorry, Anifan1. I didn't mean it as a cruel "get down on hand and knee and beg me for permission to upload your story." I meant it as a sympathetic "Let me know if you do something with my story." I don't have a problem with adding another link to my stories, but I do have a problem with something being done with my stories without my knowledge.

And sorry I haven't updated in so long, but I tend to lose energy after a while.

* * *

Chapter two: The Discovery 

We got to the meeting. I dropped the mask on Cassie's face.

"What's up with you? You look as though you just got told summer vaction's been canceled."

"Oh, nothing much. Just a summit meeting here in town to talk about what to do about all the problems in the Middle East. The leaders of the U.S., Great Britain, France, Russia, Japan, and Germany," I said, practically shrieking.

"Well that's very nice. Who cares?" Three guesses who said that.

"It's the ultimate target!" said Rachel, practically copying what Cassie had been saying to me earlier. "The leaders of six powerful nations? All in one place at one place at one time? Right here where the Yeerk invasion is strongest?"

"You think the Yeerks are going after these guys?" Jake asked me.

"That's how I know about it. My commander let it slip."

"Okay. That's about as important as the reason that I called this meeting. No wait, it's more important! If the Yeerks get the blue box, they'll have an advantage. If they get these people, it's all over!" said Marco.

"The blue box?" I said. "It was destroyed."

"Yeah, well, some kid named David, who thinks I'm an idiot, has it."

"Well," said Rachel. "If he thinks Marco's an idiot, he can't be all bad." She then gave Marco a look that let him know she was kidding.

"Focus, people," said Jake.

"Okay," said Rachel. "One, we have to keep the blue box out of Yeerk hands. Two, we have to keep these leaders out of Yeerk hands. And three, we have to keep Marco from realizing that he actually is an idiot."

"Rachel," Cassie said.

"Okay, first things first. The blue box. Nevermind the leaders for now," said Jake, trying to keep us in order.

"All right," said Rachel. "How di that blue box manage to survive? The Yeerks Draconed Elfangor's fighter till it was dust. We were there. We watched it happen."

We all looked at Ax, who had yet to speak. The only one who hadn't spoken yet, apart from Tobias.

"What do you think happened, Ax?" asked Jake.

I do not know, The Andalite said. They don't have mouths, so they speak with thought speech, sort of like Yeerks do with their hosts, only more powerful.

"What do you mean you don't know?" said Rachel. "Is there something special about those blue boxes, like they can't be destroyed by Dracon beams?"

No. It could be destroyed by a Dracon beam. All I can think of is that maybe it was a simple incident of random chance.

"Is that Andalite-ese for a freak accident?" asked Marco.

Yes. The Dracon beam striking my brother's fight would have created explosive pressures. Perhaps this pressure simply hurled the Escafil Device away at high speeds.

The What? Tobias asked.

"One of the Andalite names for the Blue Box," I clarified.

I forgot to mention that the Animorphs have the ability to change into any animal they can touch. Tobias violated the number-one rule of this power. Stay in a morph longer than two hours, and become stuck.

"The point is," said Marco. "We need to get this box."

"Yep, we do," agreed Jake.

"Before he figures out what it is," Cassie said. "And more importantly, before the Yeerks discover he has it."

I noticed Marco taking a good, long look at us. I wasn't sure if he trusted us, in spite of what the android Laura had said.

"Okay, so we need information," said Jake. "We need to know where this kid lives, most of all. Then we go in and get the blue box."

"And we have to be careful not to let the kid even suspect what's going on," Tobias added.

"And obviously we have to be careful not to hurt David," said Jake. "He's an innocent bystander."

"No problem-o," Rachel said. "He's not a Hork-Bajir, he's not a Taxxon, and he's not Visser Three. Us versus some kid from school? Puh-leeze. It's a walk in the park."

"And don't forget," I said. "We also have to worry about the world leaders."

"Aftran, don't ever do that again," Marco said. "Don't ever spoil our feeling of triumph like that again."

* * *

Yes, most of this chapter was copied from Animorphs 20. You will find plenty of original work that belongs to me. I know I didn't have Marco's "It can cascade all over its Zero..." Ax not needing to explain what it was prevented him from talking about any of the science behind it. 

So, for anyone, let me know if you do something with my story. I don't have much of a problem, unless you call it your work. I just want to know what's being done with my work.


	3. Who cares how?

LilManiac, no "and three, we have to keep marco from figuring out he IS an idiot" was not in the original.

Well, I don't have many more responses for reviewers, so on with the story!

* * *

Chapter three: Who cares how?

We figured we'd go for the blue box first. At that moment, it seemed the easier and more pressing task.

We were currently at a Burger King.

It was just the four human Animorphs and me. Ax would have been slightly obvious as an Andalite, and there was no way he could be trusted in human morph anywhere near salt and grease. As for Tobias, he was off scouting David's house.

We'd worked out a plan to deal with the problem of our clothes. Two of us would go while two stayed behind. Well, two if you didn't count me.

Marco broke two french fries in half. He put one short and one long in his fist.

/I hope its not Rachle and Marco going/ Cassie said to me.

/It better not be/ I responded. /Those two would kill each other./

Jake pulled the short fry.

"Looks like I'm going and you're pulling bathroom duty," Jake said cheerfully.

Then Rachel and Cassie pulled fries. I was currently detached.

/We shouldn't have been talking about Rachel and Marco not being the winners/ I said. /That's why we're now in this situation./

"You and me, Xena," Marco said.

Marco teases Rachel by calling her Xena.

"You know," Rachel said. "If I'm Xena, what's that make you?"

"Hercules obviously."

"I was thinking more Joxer. Isn't that the annoying weenie who hangs around Xena?"

"Okay, that does it!" Marco yelled indignantly. "Let's go. Come on, let's settle this once and for all."

He sat down and put his arm in the arm-wrestleing position.

Jake yawned. "Shouldn't we have a pair of live scorpions to make it interesting?" he asked.

"Or a pair of Lederthaks," I joked, receiving glares from everyone else.

Rachel grinned and accepted the challenge. It seemed to be about even when Rachel suddenly won, with a cry of "Ow!" from Marco.

"You kicked me!" he cried. "She kicked me under the table! Jake, your cousin kicked me!"

Rachel laughed. "Who cares how you win as long as you win?"

"Umm, Rachel? Please remember that the only reason we have a chance is because the Yeerks care about how they win," I said.

Jake groaned. "The two of you off alone on this mission? Instead of _Dumb and Dumber_ it's _Crazy and Crazier_!"

Rachel and Marco looked at each other and then broke out laughing crazily.

"_Crazy and Crazier_," Rachel repeated.

"Yeah," Marco said. "But which of us is which?"

* * *

Lederthaks are those plant creatures from the Hork-Bajir home world, one of the monsters created by the Arn. Visser Three morphed one in Animorphs 11. 


End file.
